Bike Commuting?! You gotta be crazy!

The general perception of bike commuting is a little skewed.

Recently, I waited for the light to turn green in the left turn lane of northbound Damen at the three-way intersection with Irving Park and Lincoln. Most Chicagoans will recognize this as one of the busiest intersections in the city outside of Downtown. I was on my bike, in front of a long line of cars. As soon as the light turned green and the road was clear, and I pulled out into the middle of the intersection to wait for my opportunity to turn safely, a driver of an SUV proceeding straight on Damen thought it fit to roll down his window to shout the words "You're crazy!" as he sped past me.

Crazy?

I have thirty years of experience using my bike for transportation in Chicago. I am familiar with the laws pertaining to the use of bicycles on urban streets, and (with one important exception) obey those laws. I do not use any devices on my bike that distract me from concentrating on what I'm doing. I don't run red lights. I wear a helmet. I use hand signals. In all my street cycling, I try to act cautiously and predictably so as not to endanger or aggravate others around me. And the vast majority of cyclists I see around me do all those things too. That’s why they are invisible: they behave predictably, ride safely and are generally not in anyone’s way.

Crazy is when you bike against traffic. Crazy is when you cycle on the street with your hands off the handlebars. Or ride without brakes. Crazy is when you are in traffic with headphones on. Or when you eat a double hamburger with everything, or use your cellphone while biking.

Or driving, for that matter.

Somehow, as urban cyclists, we continue to be perceived as frivolous risk-takers. It may be because bicycles are still perceived as primarily vehicles for leisure and recreation. Not that there is anything wrong with leisure and recreation per se. It's just that, in our productivity-obsessed society, those activities are less of a priority than just getting things done. So, if you are riding a bicycle, an item that —like it or not, can still be purchased at toy stores— you are perhaps perceived as doing something less important, playing, enjoying yourself, kind of like the grasshopper among the busy ants.

Well, to all you busy ants out there, with your very important appointments and agendas, let it be known that you do not need to be the owner of a $50,000 pile of metal for your livelihood and your life to matter. People use bikes for all sorts of reasons. People cycle to their jobs. No, they are not deadbeats. People from all professions, white and blue collar alike, cycle because they chose to, not because they've had their driver's license suspended. People cycle to get to school. People cycle to get things done. People cycle because cycling provides good exercise, is cheap, efficient, and maybe because they believe in a cleaner, saner community. Some people cycle because they believe bicycles will change the world. Who are you to tell them they are wrong?

Contrast this with some of the reasons people drive. It could be argued that driving in today's climate, for any reason, is downright irresponsible. Driving supports questionable foreign governments, degrades our environment, destroys communities, contributes to obesity, and creates urban congestion. But, as a car owner and driver myself, I can't, in clear conscience condemn the use of the car altogether. Nevertheless, it should be clear as day to anyone, that most people use cars when it is completely unnecessary. Parking lots at supermarkets are filled to capacity as bike racks stand unused. In Chicago, most people are within a mile of a grocery store. On school days, neighborhood streets are backed up with SUV's disgorging children, most of whom live within walking distance from their local school. On weekend nights, trendy neighborhoods are clogged with automobiles, as their owners circle for parking spots, and later drive home having consumed several martinis at a fancy restaurant. Women drive to beauty salons to get their pedicures, and drive back home with tufts of cotton stuffed between their toes. People use their cars as moving offices, talking on phones, sending text messages, reviewing emails, and who knows what else.

But what about cyclists who ride irresponsibly? Of course, they endanger themselves, and other users of the road, including drivers, who may be affected forever if they happen to injure of kill one. Nevertheless, dangers posed by cyclists pale in comparison to those created by automobiles. According to the US Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics, in 2019 (the last year for which data has been compiled), automobile-related deaths numbered 36,098. Of those, 846 involved cyclists, 6,205 pedestrians, and a whopping 12,239 were occupants of passenger cars and light trucks (for the complete report, click here).

Well, you might say, these statistics don't reflect percentages. Yes, more car drivers and passengers die in crashes than cyclists, because  there are more cars than bicycles on the roads. Sure, you could use this argument.

But here is mine. Suppose for a minute that there were no other road users besides cars: no cyclists, no pedestrians, nothing. It is a fair assumption that cars would still crash into one another with the same abandon they do right now, and, as a result of these crashes, and from the sheer force of the impact, people would die in great numbers. Possibly, drivers would behave more recklessly knowing there are no more vulnerable users on the roads. But suppose there were no cars on the road. Yes, cyclists and pedestrians would still sometimes crash. There might be injuries. There might even be an occasional death. But I am willing to bet it would not even approach 1% of the deaths we suffer from automobile use today.

Both my husband and I have biked on the streets of Chicago for thirty years without incident. Over our many years in the bike industry, we’ve encountered many instances of cyclists being injured and even tragically killed in traffic. However, we’ve encountered incomparably more cyclists who ride safely, without injury each and every day. Are they crazy?

Crazy is when you commit your entire life to a blind dependence on a car, and don't for a moment consider that there might be a better alternative. Even if this alternative doesn't work for you, it's crazy to make that decision for others around you. And crazy is deliberately startling a cyclist trying to concentrate on her careful maneuvers in the middle of one of the busiest intersections in Chicago.